Council pledges to offer better support to vulnerable people

THE needs of the most vulnerable residents in Staffordshire must be at the heart of a co-ordinated, effective approach to support - the county's care chief said.

Alan White, Staffordshire County Council's cabinet member for care, said this means fostering greater independence and less dependence for more people.

Following a meeting of the council's corporate review committee, plans to review around 200 arrangements as part of the national Supporting People programme will now go ahead.

Councillor White said: "We need to strike the right balance between ensuring resources are there to support the most vulnerable, such as the very elderly, the frail and people with complex needs with focusing on prevention and helping as many people as possible lead as independent and rewarding lives as possible.

"The review of these contracts doesn't mean we are pulling out of supporting residents, far from it. However, instead of looking at areas such as mental health, homelessness, addiction or repeat offending in isolation, we want to offer a joined-up, county-wide approach which focuses more on preventing people falling into crisis and less on long term dependence on services."